National Environmental Policy Act; Expansion of Launch Range Operations at Wallops Flight Facility

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 97-131]

National Environmental Policy Act; Expansion of Launch Range

Operations at Wallops Flight Facility

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment

(EA)

[[Page 47223]]

for the expansion of launch range operations at Goddard Space Flight

Center's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of

NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR

Part 1216, Subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared a Draft EA for the

proposed expansion of launch range operations at Goddard Space Flight

Center's WFF, Wallops Island, Virginia. NASA proposes to enhance

national launch capabilities through improvements to infrastructure and

the expansion of its launch range operations at WFF. The major actions

proposed include: (1) establishment of a Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) licensed commercial launch site to operate from

WFF under a Use Agreement with NASA; (2) improvements to real property

necessary to support the expansion of launch operations; (3) expansion

of operations at WFF to accommodate twelve orbital launches per year;

and (4) restoration of the historical level and nature of operations on

the WFF range. The improvements to infrastructure and the establishment

of a licensed commercial launch site at WFF would increase the national

capacity for the launching of commercial satellites and provide

additional capacity for all launch operations from Wallops Island. If a

decision were to be made to proceed with the proposed action,

implementation would begin during the latter part of calendar year

1997.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EA must be in writing and received by NASA

on or before October 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Mr. Keith Koehler,

Public Affairs Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight

Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. The Draft EA may be reviewed

at the following locations:

(a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20546 (202-358-0167).

(b) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility,

Public Affairs Office, Wallops Island, Virginia, 757-824-1579.

(c) Eastern Shore Public Library, PO Box 360, Accomac, Virginia,

23301 (757-787-3400).

(d) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800

Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).

(e) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

32899. Please call Lisa Fowler Beforehand at 407-867-2497 so that

arrangements can be made.

In addition, the Draft EA may be reviewed at the following NASA

locations by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act

Office.

(f) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415-604-

4190).

(g) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (805-

258-3448).

(h) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-

286-0730).

(i) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).

(j) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (757-864-

2497).

(k) NASA, Lewis Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland,

OH 44135 (216-433-2222).

(l) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (205-544-0031).

(m) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (601-688-2164).

A limited number of copies of the Draft EA are available, on a

first request basis, by contacting the Wallops Flight Facility Public

Affairs Office at the address or telephone number indicated herein.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: The Wallops Flight Facility, Public

Affairs Office, Wallops Island, VA (757-824-1579).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed action is to

enhance national launch capabilities through improvements to

infrastructure and the expansion of launch range operations at WFF. An

FAA licensed commercial launch site at WFF would be established to

promote this expansion of launch capabilities. The licensed commercial

launch site is necessary to further encourage, facilitate, and promote

a competitive United States commercial launch site industry.

This Draft EA identifies potential impacts that may occur during

implementation of the proposed action. The Draft EA addresses

environmental impacts associated both with construction of launch

support facilities and launch operations. The expansion of launch

operations is proposed to include up to 12 orbital launches per year,

in addition to the historical level of launches conducted at the WFF

launch range. The minimum proposed improvements to WFF's real property

and infrastructure necessary to accomplish the proposed expansion

include: (1) modifications to existing launch pad 0-A; (2)

modifications to existing buildings for payload processing facilities;

and (3) the construction of a new launch pad designated as pad 0-B.

WFF's proposed launch range expansion would accommodate various solid

and liquid (liquid oxygen-hydrogen, liquid oxygen-kerosene) rocket

motor configurations.

The following alternative locations are considered alternative

sites to the proposed action: (1) Spaceport Florida, located adjacent

to Cape Canaveral Air Station on the east coast of Florida; (2)

California Spaceport, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California;

(3) Kodiak Launch Complex, Kodiak, Alaska; (4) no action.

Impacts to the human environment associated with the proposed

action--proposed expansion of launch range operations at WFF--can be

divided into short-term (construction phase) and long-term (operational

phase) impacts. The construction phase would last approximately 12-15

months. The Draft EA evaluates the environmental consequences

including, but not limited to, air and water quality, noise, flora and

fauna, threatened and endangered species, health and safety, solid and

hazardous waste management, socioeconomics, land use, and wetlands and

floodplain management. The proposed action would occur in a 100-year

floodplain and result in the conversion of 1,280 square meters (about

\1/3\ acre) of wetlands.

After receipt and consideration of comments on the Draft EA, NASA

will prepare and issue a Final EA for the proposed expansion of launch

range operations at WFF. The Final EA will be used to determine whether

a finding of no significant impact will be appropriate or whether there

is a need to prepare an environmental impact statement.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 97-23654 Filed 9-5-97; 8:45 am]

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